564 



THE PRUNE D'AGEN. 



rich in the north of China. I afterwards 

 found it wild amongst the mountains of 

 the interior of the province of Cheekiang, 

 where I thought it even more ornamental 

 in its natural state, amongst the hedges, 

 than when cultivated in the fairy gardens 

 of the mandarins. 



" In England, it is probable thai it will be 

 nearly hardy ; but I advise the possessor of 

 it, in the first place, to keep it in the green- 

 house until its constitution is proved. It is 

 a free growing bush, and is easily in- 

 creased by cuttings or layers." 



We are happy to be able to add to the 

 foregoing, that this new shrub has proved 

 perfectly hardy in the United States, in 

 this latitude. The specimen from which 

 our sketch, fig. 61, was made, was taken 

 from a plant in the nurseries of our neigh- 

 bors, Messrs. A. Saul & Co., of Newburgh, 

 N. Y. This specimen was planted last 



season in the open border, in a cold and 

 exposed site, where it remained during the 

 past winter, exposed to 10^ helow the zero 

 of Fahrenheit, — an unusually low tempe- 

 rature. Notwithstanding this, it was found 

 quite uninjured this spring, and was among- 

 the earliest shrubs to open its blossoms, 

 which began to expand directly after the 

 Mezereon, and remained in bloom the whole 

 month of April. When the flowers first 

 expand the shrub is leafless ; but before 

 they fall, the l^ves commence unfolding. 

 The great number of these bright yellow 

 flowers, and their cheerful as well as beau~ 

 tifiil aspect at tha^ early season, will soon 

 render the Forsythiia a very popular hardy 

 shrub. 



We will rnention, also, that the stems 

 are green, the leaves oblong,, and emit a 

 slight balsamic odor; and the foliage ha^ 

 a very rich effect in the shrubbery. 



NOTICE OP THE PRUNE D'AGEN. 



J. W. KNEVELS, FISHKILL LANDING, N. V * 



The Agen Date Prune is also known as 

 the Rohe de Serge7it, Prune d'Ante,1 (d'Astt, 

 of the London Hort. Society's Catalogue,) 

 St. Maurin, and de BignoUes of some. It 

 has been cultivated in the south of France 

 from time immemorial ; and our author 

 thinks it almost inconceivable that so va- 

 luable and hardy a tree should have been 

 so little known or cultivated beyond its own 

 immediate district ; (in the department Lot 



* From a paper by M. Tourres de Machetaux, in the An- 

 nates de Fromunt. 



t The Prunes of Agen, which are considered the best in 

 France, and are a good article of exportation, are termed 

 "Entes," from ente, a graft — Malie Btun. (PRmivBl?.* prii- 

 tion) 



-Mulle Brun-, (Percival!s edi- 



t The Prune d'Ast is not the same as that of Agen; for 

 which, see Prince's Pom. Man'l, and the authorities quoted 

 bjrhim. 



et Gaironne, of which Agen, on the latter 

 river, is the capital.) 



He assures us, further, that it is entirely- 

 indifferent to the quality of the soil in which 

 it is planted, and bears abundantly in all 

 exposures ; " an intimate eomp>anion of the 

 vine, they unite in decorating the precipi- 

 tous slopes of the calcareous legions, the 

 sandy plains, exposed to the north winds ; 

 the court and grounds of the wealthy, as 

 well as the contracted limits of the cottage 

 garden.*' 



" It may be said that wherever the vine 

 grows, the Prune d'Agen will succeed.'* 



" As to the transplantation of this tree 

 into a more rigorous climate than ours» the 



